When this movie was first released, being a fighter pilot was not every kids dream, you had to have somebody close to you being in the airforce or being himself a pilot. After this movie I do not know about the rest of the world but in Greece the applications for the fighter pilot academy were boosted 300%. Every kid wanted to behave like Maverick in the film! I also was influenced by it that is why I serve my country as a fighter pilot!
Despite being a true American film where everything is idealised its a very realistic portrayal of air combat (as close as a film can get) and the general behaviour of fighter pilots at the beginning of their career (fast cars, fast women, going Mach 2). In addition to that I personally think that even the aircraft (Grumman F-14 Tomcat) helped the audiences eyes too.